Most Decembers, I write a column on holiday gifts that are mindful, yet generous in ways beyond price. Most items I give have a charity component such as Bombas socks and Out of Print T-shirts. My kids don’t just anticipate, but expect, a pack of Bombas’s high quality socks every year. For each pair of socks purchased, Bombas donates a pair, many going to those experiencing homelessness. 

Out of Print, owned by Penguin Random House, sells clothing, tote bags and other items sporting classic and popular book illustrations. The company has donated over 5 million books and supports literacy initiatives throughout the world. Some of my sons’ favorite T-shirts have images from “Frog and Toad,” “Pride and Prejudice” and “Pete the Cat.” My favorite (a T-shirt for them, a T-shirt for me) is Edward Gorey’s “The Gashly Crumb Tinies.”

Rather than an overabundance of toys, few of which will last beyond the holiday break, I strongly encourage grandparents to give the gift of family memberships to institutions such as museums, zoos or aquariums. An annual membership offers multiple experiences to a favorite institution, but can be too costly for young families to afford. 

And for those who do not need or want any more things, there are many non-profits to which even small donations can have significant impact. To ensure a non-profit is using the majority of the donations they receive for their mission, I turn to Nicholas Kristof’s website KristofImpact.org. There you will find lesser-known non-profits that have been vetted whose missions are life changing, if not life saving, for the people they benefit. I have given to many of Kristof’s charity choices over the years, some on https://kristofimpact.org, on a monthly basis.

But there is another gift I often give yet haven’t written about: books. Usually the right book for someone is highly individualized. Besides, when I find a perfect book for someone, I rarely wait for a birthday or holiday. The minute I finished reading a review of it in August, I sent my eldest son the novel “Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow” by Gabrielle Zevin. He has repeatedly told me how much he enjoyed it. Priceless!

This year, however, there is a book I will give to many. “Light Enters the Grove” is a locally published, deeply appealing, collection of poems about Cuyahoga Valley National Park written by authors with a connection to the region. The collection is complemented by original art also produced locally.

Northeast Ohio native Charlie Malone, one of the book’s three editors, edited a collection of poems about Rocky Mountain National Park when he lived in Colorado more than a decade ago. Malone eventually moved back to be near family and then decided he wanted to create a similar collection of poems about our national park.

Once Kent State University Press agreed to publish the collection, Malone and the other two editors, Carrie George and Jason Harris, sent out an email blast to writers. Those who wanted to participate were then given a list of three randomly chosen plant or animal species that exist in CVNP. From that list of three, authors picked one species for the focus of their poem. Several stated they felt a deep personal connection to the species they chose.

Virginia Konchan’s poem, “Song Sparrow,” begins with what sounds like sage advice given to a young sparrow by his father, advice humans might also consider: “Female song sparrows are smart and strategic: they’re attracted not just to the male’s song, but how well it reflects their ability to learn. The greater the repertoire, and incorporation of a song tutor’s legacy, the better chances/the male has of capturing a female’s heart.”

The book is organized by poems related to fields, forests and waters. The corresponding illustrations, created by Each+Every design firm in Kent, harken the scientific drawings of naturalists doing fieldwork. In some instances, images of the poem’s species are collaged with area-specific maps giving the illustrations both a modern and 19th-century feel. 

With as many writers as there are poems, the poetry styles run from experimental to traditional to prosaic. No matter the poem’s form, however, all consider birds, bugs, flowers, fish and more that are familiar to the many Northeast Ohio residents who enjoy the ease with which we can hike, bike, picnic, ride trains, and even wed in our national park.

This well-written, visually appealing collection is priced at $22 and available at many local bookstores, including Loganberry Books in Shaker Heights, The Learned Owl Book Shop in Hudson and Mac’s Backs-Books on Coventry in Cleveland Heights. In Akron you can find “Light Enters the Grove” at Elizabeth’s Bookshop & Writing Centre as well as at Barnes & Noble Booksellers.

However many copies of “Light Enters the Grove” you purchase to gift this holiday season, be sure to include one for yourself to enjoy on the cold nights of winter, perhaps after an afternoon of hiking or skiing in CVNP.

This column was first published in the Akron Beacon Journal on Sunday, December 8, 2024.